It seems that Cat and Ivan Epperson from Lake Lanier are big fans of houseboats. This is, after all, the fourth one they’ve owned. Their previous boats have groomed this couple to know what they really need in a houseboat. "No More Pocket Change" was more than they could have imagined. It made its debut last year at the Atlanta Show Boat.

When you step aboard this vessel, you will not believe this masterpiece is a houseboat. Her beam is 21 ft. with a LOA of 106’. Sumerset Houseboats built this Elite series which was designed for superior luxury. Coffered ceilings, judge’s panels and crown molding are but a few of the distinguishing characteristics. The power package is a pair of 5.7 MPI Mag Mercruiser Engines with Bravo II outdrives, with an added kick of power by bow and stern thrusters. Twin 25 KW Westerbeke generators and two 4000-watt inverters provide electricity when this luxury craft is away from the dock.

"No More Pocket Change" features a beautifully designed salon and galley with four staterooms and two and a half baths just down the passageway. Ivan is quick to add that it is also equipped with seven televisions--they can catch their favorite programs from just about any room on the boat. But one of its noticeably unique features is the 52-inch plasma television, which lifts from the granite counter-top dividing the main salon from the galley. The television rotates 360 degrees to accommodate viewing from both the galley and salon.

Living nearby affords the Eppersons and their extended family about two weeks a month aboard "No More Pocket Change." Their three sons, four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren all live locally. Some say that play is what binds families together. That could explain the 38-year marriage Cat and Ivan share. Or, it could be the competitive nature of their relationship. Ivan owned a successful and established blueprinting company when Cat decided to start up on her own, the first woman-owned, not to mention the first minority, blueprinting business in Atlanta, Georgia.

Celebrating their success in career and family, the Eppersons claim this houseboat will remain the occupant of their slip at Holiday Marina for quite a while. Unless, of course, they find a little more pocket change.